Liberalism And Freedom

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were some of the main focuses of classical liberalism in early America.
On religious freedom, seventeenth century minister Roger Williams wrote:

"All Civill States with their Officers of justice in their
respectiveconstitutions and administrations are proved essentially Civill, and
therefore not judges, governours or defendours of the spirituall or christian
state and worship." (Volkomer, 50)
This quote is notable because it illustrates the early liberal ideas of
religious freedom by stating that government officials have no right to pass
judgment on religious practices. In furtherance of his views, Williams founded
a colony at Plymouth and contributed to the development of religious tolerance
in the new world. Religious tolerance meant that a nation with multiple
religions need no longer mean a country with internal strife and civil
insurrection due to intolerance (Volkomer, 1969). The notion of religious open-
mindedness helped pave the way for individual independence by ...

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in a nation whose
government abided by the tenets of laissez-faire. True liberty, liberals began
to contend, required the ability of man to use his talents and energies in a
constructive fashion-it meant the positive freedom to achieve and
accomplish." (Volkomer, 4)

This quotation suggests that modern liberals now see it as the
government's responsibility to level the playing field for individuals who would
otherwise be at a disadvantage. The freedom to achieve one's own potential is
one of the prime objectives of modern liberalism (Merquior, 1991). This has led
to the development of affirmative action and other programs such as welfare.
The opportunity to reach one's ...

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